Recap: RFK grilled over vaccines, lead, job cuts, as protesters tackled at HHS hearing
Health SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.defended the president's proposed cuts to top health agencies as committee members in the House and Senate pummeled him with questions on controversial topics and spending. He testified before the House committee on appropriations the morning of May 14 and before the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee in the afternoon. Nearly four months into his new job, Kennedy Jr. answered and dodged heated questions about vaccines, the measles outbreak and a recently approved spending bill. Before the Appropriations Committee, he noted that health agencies were handling the U.S. measles outbreak better than other nations have handled theirs, refusing to answer whether people should get shots for various vaccine-preventable diseases. He declined to comment on reorganization efforts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kennedy, who is known to take controversial stances on vaccines, recentlybacked vaccination as a preventive toolduring a measles outbreak, but noted that vaccines should be left to parents' discretion. At the House hearing, he declined to answer a lawmaker's question about whether he wouldvaccinate his own childif it were born today. He recently rolled out plans to removeartificial food dyes from the U.S. food supply, which prompted a series of questions from one lawmaker about beloved snack food from his state, Little Debbie cakes. President Donald Trump's $1.7 trillion"skinny budget" proposalfor fiscal year 2026 reduces non-defense spending by 23% compared with 2025.The budget seeks $94 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services agencies, a reduction of about 26% from the 2025 level andcuts programs and staffat agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the CDC. However, the president's budget aims to pump a $500 million infusion into Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" initiative, which is geared towards ending what he calls the "chronic disease epidemic." The program seeks to tackle the issue through nutrition and physical activity, and by cutting back on medications and improving food and drug quality and safety. One of the last lawmakers to question Kennedy about program cuts tossed out what should have been a softball question. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks asked the Health secretary to discuss the Safe to Sleep campaign that works to prevent sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. The question should have hit close to home since the department that houses the campaign, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, was named after Kennedy's paternal aunt. The campaign provides materials and messaging around evidence-based, safe sleep recommendations. The agency's participation in the program, which began in 1994 as the Back to Sleep campaign, was cut on April 1,according to Dr. Rachel Moon, a lead author of safe sleep guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. When asked what office spearheads the campaign, he tried one answer (Health Resources and Services Administration) and then a second (The Administration for Children and Families). Neither was correct, Alsobrooks said. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Alsobrooks' Democratic colleague from Delaware, who sits beside her at the dais, smirked. – Adrianna Rodriguez During committee hearings on May 14, Kennedy told lawmakers that patient privacy will be protected in a new database for autism research, while also reiterating that he thinks rising rates of autism are an epidemic, despite dissent from the medical and autism communities. "Autism is an epidemic," Kennedy said. "Genes do not cause epidemics. They can contribute a vulnerability, but you need an environmental toxin." On May 7, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced their partnership to research the causes of the autism spectrum disorder, creating a database of autism-diagnosed Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. "It's entirely voluntary, patient privacy is protected, the data is digitalized and depersonalized… and patients have an absolute right to opt out of it," Kennedy said. Medical advice?RFK Jr. says don't take any advice from him. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order shortly after restricting state agencies from collecting and sharing autism-related data, in response to federal efforts to create a database for autism research. Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is the clinical name for the condition most people refer to as autism. Autism is defined as "a complex developmental condition that affects communication, social interaction and behavior," saysChristopher Banks, president and CEO of the Autism Society of America. "Claiming that autism is 'preventable' is not science-based, and places unnecessary blame on people, parents and families," he said. "Autism is not a chronic disease, nor a childhood disease, it is a lifelong developmental condition; it is not an epidemic, nor should it be compared to the COVID-19 pandemic, and using language like that perpetuates falsehoods, stigma and stereotypes." – Adrianna Rodriguez In a rare moment of pushback from Republican lawmakers, Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pressed Trump's Health secretary on the sweeping layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and cuts in funding for the National Institutes of Health. The Maine Republican noted that caring for people with Alzheimer's costs billions of dollars per year. Collins was a co-author of the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act of 2024, signed intolaw by former President Joe Biden. The act authorized $33 million in support per year for Alzheimer's caregiving interventions and other matters. "How can you ensure that the CDC continues to implement the BOLD Act and the Alzheimer's programs under it when all of the staff responsible for that administration have either been placed on administrative leave or let go?" she asked Kennedy. Kennedy replied that Alzheimer's runs in his family and said he was committed to working with Collins on the issue. However, he noted he was advised by his attorneys not to comment on the CDC reorganization. –Sudiksha Kochi Sen. Tammy Baldwin opened her remarks asking what, she said, she hoped was an easy question: "Do you think lead poisoning in children is a significant concern?" Kennedy replied, "It's an extremely significant concern." Baldwin snapped back about the recent cutsto the CDC's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. In a letter sent to Kennedy on April 23, Baldwin said over 2,000 CDC employees, including the entire Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and Surveillance Branch, were fired. Baldwin highlighted Milwaukee, where community members requested expert assistance from the CDC to help address a growing problem of older elementary school students with lead poisoning, she said. The request for aid was denied due to a lack of staff, Baldwin said. Kennedy countered that the administration didn't intend to halt the work of this branch of government. "You cannot tell us that you want to make America healthy again when you're willfully destroying programs that keep children safe and healthy from lead poisoning," she said. – Adrianna Rodriguez Protesters interrupted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a few minutes after he began his testimony before the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. About five people in the audience rose from their seats and began charging towards the health secretary shouting, "RFK kills people with AIDS." Capitol police escorted the protestors – who appeared to range from people in their 20s to silver-haired men in suits – out of the room. Some were tackled and fell to the floor. Some of the HHS cuts have impacted the United States Agency for International Development, and experts have said the harms trickled down to global humanitarian organizations working on lifesaving programs, including ones that offered HIV health care, worked on landmine removal and provided food aid. – Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean referenced Kennedy's history of heroin addiction and recovery when she asked why HHS is "shuttering" the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "In active addiction, you know how difficult it is," she said. "This matters in my district. I've buried way too many kids." Kennedy pushed back against the notion that the administration planned to "shutter" the agency. Instead, he said, it would be "shifted" into the newly created Administration for Healthy America. The number of Americans who died from overdoses of drugs like fentanyl and meth dropped nearly 30% last year, falling to a level not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic,according to the CDC. Experts attribute the decrease to a combination of factors, including the wider availability of the opioid antidote naloxone, along with $50 billion in funding for drug-treatment and youth prevention efforts from the national opioid settlements. "Why would we – when we're finally seeing some success – bury that success?" Dean asked. – Adrianna Rodriguez Tennessee Republican Chuck Fleischmann pressed Kennedy about a food item that's very important to folks in his state: Little Debbie snacks. He argued that he respects the FDA's process of banning synthetic food colorings over the years, but added that the current colors "have been deemed safe for many years." Fleischmann said he represents many snack manufacturers, including M&M's and Little Debbie's. "You're going to come and visit me in a couple weeks, we can all have some M&M's and Little Debbie's together," he said. "But on a very serious note, we want to make sure that FDA has done due diligence to ensure the safety of these replacement colors." Last month, Kennedyannounced that eightartificial dyes will be eliminated from medications and the nation's food supply by the end of 2026. Kennedy in the past has linked food dyes and additives to ADHD and chronic diseases, such as obesity. "Candidly, I think these guys are safe. They've been approved, but really trying to find substitutes - the costs we've seen estimates five to 10 times to try to fix that. Will you work with me on that?" Fleischmann asked, to which Kennedy replied, "Absolutely." –Sudiksha Kochi Skirting a question on an issue that has gained him support and stoked opponents,Kennedy told Wisconsin Democrat Rep. Mark Pocanduring a hearing before a House committee he thinks Americans should not be taking medical advice from him. The issue? Vaccines. Pocan asked Kennedy, "If you had a child today, would you vaccinate that child for measles?" "Probably for measles," Kennedy said, before backpedaling. "What I would say is my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant." When pressed on whether he would vaccinate his children for chickenpox and Polio, Kennedy once again said he didn't want to be giving advice. Just last month, Kennedyclaimed that measles vaccines are "leaky"because their effectiveness wanes over time – an argument disputed by medical experts. Outbreaks of the highly contagious infection has led to more than 1,000 cases and three deaths in the U.S, including those of two unvaccinated children in Texas. Measles was eliminated in the U.S. by 2000 but has resurfaced with periodic outbreaks, mostly among people who are not vaccinated. In the current outbreak, 96% of measles cases occurred in unvaccinated patients or those whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the CDC. Measles vaccination rates dropped to about 92% in 2023-2024, below the 95% needed to ensure herd immunity. Babies usually get their first dose of MMR vaccine, which also protects against mumps and rubella, at around 12 months. – Swapna Venugopal RamaswamyandSudiksha Kochi When Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat, asked why the Health and Human Services Department eliminated the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, Kennedy said he was advised by his attorneys not to comment on the reorganization. "We are under acourt ordernot to do any further planning on the reorganization, and I've been advised by my attorneys not to comment," Kennedy told the Connecticut lawmaker. "But I will just say broadly, many of the programs that the Democrats are now saying were cut (at) the CDC were not cut at all." On May 9, afederal judge saidthe Trump administration must temporarily halt its sweeping government overhaul because Congress did not authorize it to carry out large-scale staffing cuts and the restructuring of agencies. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco sided with a group of unions, non-profits and local governments, and blocked large-scale mass layoffs known as "reductions in force" for 14 days. Dozens of lawsuits have challenged DOGE's work on various grounds, including violating privacy laws and exceeding its authority, with mixed results. Illston scheduled a hearing for May 22 to consider a longer-lasting preliminary injunction. – Sudiksha Kochi and Reuters Connecticut's Rep. Rosa DeLauro, ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, opened her remarks by blasting PresidentDonald Trumpand billionaire Elon Musk for laying off federal employees at the Health and Human Services Department and proposing spending cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The New England Democrat donned a flashy outfit at the hearing. Known for her "hipster" style and jazzy accessories, DeLauro often stands out from her colleagues with her attire and brightly dyed hair accents. Her clash with Kennedy, once questioning began, came to a heated peak when DeLauro questioned the nation's top health official over a recently approvedspending bill that funded the government through Sept. 30. Lawmakers contend the Constitution assigns them the responsibility to decide how much to spend. But Trump and his allies argue Congress sets limits while he can spend less than lawmakers provide. "You have an obligation to carry out the law and implement what Congress has done," Delauro said, shaking her head. "Unbelievable." – Adrianna Rodriguez and Sudiksha Kochi Mother's Day hike?RFK Jr., grandkids swim in contaminated DC creek despite advice to 'stay out' Top health organizations representing patients with Alzheimer's, cancer, heart and lung disease are warning of the dangers posed by recent and proposed federal budget cuts as Kennedy testifies before a pair of Congressional committees on May 14. Leaders from the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association and UsAgainstAlzheimer's outlined the consequences of these cuts and called on Congress to "take immediate action" to protect funding for biomedical research and disease prevention. In roughly five weeks this year, the U.S. National Institutes of Health terminated $1.81 billion in medical research funding,according to a new analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on May 8. "The actions taken to date and proposed further actions to cut research funding will undermine public health, weaken our global competitiveness and delay and deny cures and treatment for patients in need," said Emily Holubowich, national senior vice president of federal advocacy at the American Heart Association. – Adrianna Rodriguez Americans worry about the Trump administration's ability to contain an ongoing outbreak of measles, while the vast majority believe that vaccines for the disease are safe,according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. Just 31% of respondents in the two-day poll agreed with a statement that the administration is handling the measles outbreak responsibly, while 40% disagreed and the rest were unsure or did not answer the question. The poll comes as Secretary for Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is testifying before a pair of Congressional committees on a range of controversial topics, including vaccines. The United States is currently facing its largest single outbreak of measles in 25 years, with the number of casescrossing the 1,000 mark as of May 8.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported three deaths, including two unvaccinated children in Texas. "We're doing a better job at CDC than any nation in the world at controlling the measles outbreak," Kennedy said before Congress. –Reuters Health officials have reversed cuts made in April to a massive women's health program that has been around for about thirty years. On May 6, researchers at the Women's Health Initiative learned thedecision to let the programexpire had "been rescinded" and that they could "move forward with new task orders in September," according to a statement. The WHI has led women's research since the 1990s into conditions such as cancer and heart disease and influenced clinical guidelines throughout the decades. – Adrianna Rodriguez A group from the Alzheimer's Association of America lined up early outside the House Appropriations Committee meeting room. Dean Brenner, a volunteer with the association, said they had come to express their opposition to the HHS cuts, which include manyAlzheimer's-related programs and research. "There are 7 million people over the age of 65 suffering from Alzheimer's," Brenner said. Many in the group, including Brenner, a Washington, D.C. resident, were wearing purple, the official color of the organization. He said he joined the association after his mother died in 2018 from the neurodegenerative disease. "We just want to make sure we are top of mind for members of Congress," he said. – Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy Last month, Kennedy announced he was banning artificial food dyes, phasing out eight petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the nation's food supply. Kennedy has long criticizedBig Food and Big Pharma, blaming the nation's"chronic disease epidemic"on additives and junk food. He's also directed his department to conduct studies aimed at identifying "environmental toxins" behind the rising rates of autism. His critics havehammered himover his views onvaccines. Kennedy has also pushedto curbfluoride use in the water supply, saying the chemical used to protect teeth is making Americans "stupider." He has touted his plan to scale back its use in drinking water. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Recap: RFK Jr. defends massive HHS budget cuts before Congress
Recap: RFK grilled over vaccines, lead, job cuts, as protesters tackled at HHS hearing Health SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.defended the pre...
